Kirkuk Provincial Council: Sudden split in Arab Bloc prompts new alliances
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, a source in Kirkuk revealed a "surprising" split within the Arab bloc, leading to a new agreement with the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK) to form a larger bloc for local governance and share key positions, including that of the governor and the council presidency.
The source told Shafaq News Agency that "the sudden political split in the Arab bloc saw three (out of 6) members align with the PUK to form a bloc with the largest number of seats." According to the initial agreement, a PUK candidate will assume the governorship, while one of the defected Arab bloc members will take on the role of the council president.
The source noted that "this split is part of a series of political issues plaguing the Arab bloc, which has faced ongoing internal disagreements and failed to operate cohesively, even after a meeting with Iraqi Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani."
The Arab bloc has now divided into two groups: the first includes President of the Council and acting governor Rakan al-Jabouri, Raad Saleh, and Salwa al-Mufraji, while the second group, consisting of the "defectors," includes Ahmed al-Hamadani, Zaher al-Assi, and Ibrahim Hafez.
The Kirkuk Provincial Council is expected to hold its second meeting today, Thursday, to elect the council president and open nominations for the governorship. Disagreements continue, and a consensus between the blocs on these positions has not yet been reached.
On Wednesday, an advisor to Prime Minister Mohamed Shia al-Sudani announced that Kirkuk's components had agreed to rotate the governorship and share power, ruling out the dissolution of the provincial council due to the ongoing agreements among its members.
The Kirkuk Provincial Council held its first session on July 11, chaired by Rakan Saeed al-Jubouri, who was relieved of his governorship due to reaching retirement age but retained his role as council president by virtue of being the oldest council member.
Despite the participation of 16 members in the session—including five from the PUK, two from the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), six from the Arab bloc representing Sovereignty (Al-Siyada), Leadership (Al-Kiyada), and the Arab Coalition, two from the Turkmen Front, and one Christian representative—the session did not resolve the positions of the council president and the governor, leaving these positions pending further political negotiations.
